That's What Family is For
by musicxlove
Summary: You didn't think Rosalie became the second best pianist in the family for nothing, did you? One-shot fluff


**I had this idea and was forced into writing this by my own mind. It just wouldn't let me concentrate on anything else, no matter how much homework I had... Reviews are amazing!**

Silence. A rarity not to be wasted. The entire house was void of thoughts, sounds, vampires, werewolves. Nothing. _Finally_.

Although I loved my family and enjoyed their presence immensely, everyone needed some alone time sometimes. The rest of my family had gone hunting. I had opted to stay home, seeing as I had fed recently. Jacob didn't see a point in hanging around if Renesmee wasn't here, even if we had become chummy over the years. I considered Jacob part of the family now, astoundingly.

Alone time was nice, but I had no idea what to do. Reading surely wouldn't hold my interest long; I had already read anything worth reading. Television was monotonous; I wouldn't waste the valuable silence with mind-numbing nonsense. I glanced around the living room and spotted my Steinway.

_Perfect._

The aged, sleek black instrument seemed to call to me, begging me to caress the ivory keys once again. I was seated on the bench in no time, my fingers placed powerfully on the keys. I wasn't sure what to play; Bella's or Renesmee's lullaby would make me miserable with desire to hold them safely in my arms, Brahms wasn't appropriate for the impulsive performance…I raked through composition after composition until I found it.

_Aha. _A piece I hadn't played in almost ninety years.

Claude Debussy's _The Girl With the Flaxen Hair _rang beautifully through the room. Every corner of the house was caressed by the tinkling notes. I let myself get swooped up in the passionate melodies, my foot pounding the pedal at just the right moments. It had been quite a while since I had played this piece. The gorgeous notes reminded me of Rosalie, and for more than the obvious reason in the name of the piece or the beauty of the song itself. The last time I had played it was the year 1934, right after Rosalie joined our family. She hadn't become the second best musician in the family on her own…

* * *

I was playing Debussy peacefully on the beautiful new Steinway grand piano we had just purchased. It was amazing, and I knew it would last for years. I had already refused to leave it behind before we left for Knoxville, Tennessee, our next home. I had bought it on impulse; it seemed like it was haunting me from the store window. I simply had to purchase it.

_Edward's playing again? _Rosalie thought. It wasn't in annoyance, though, merely interest.

She glided down the stairs looking curiously at me from the bottom. I paused my hands for a moment, glancing back to look at her. It was obvious she was beautiful; I was pretty sure a blind man would realize that. I just didn't hold any romantic feelings for her. I had tried it out with her, for Esme's sake, even exchanging a few kisses on occasion. But we had both agreed that we could never look at each other as lovers, just siblings.

_Why'd you stop? _she asked mentally, creasing her perfect eyebrows in confusion. I shrugged and resumed playing.

Rosalie walked over to the piano and stood behind me, listening, getting caught up in the beautiful music flowing through the room. I stopped again, moving over so she could take a seat next to me. She sat down hesitantly and motioned for me to continue. Instantly my fingers were in action, effortlessly gliding along the ivory keys. She closed her eyes and swayed with the music, and I followed suit. We had never been so in sync; it was comforting. I hadn't had any siblings in my human life, and had always wanted a little sister. Although she was technically older than me, I considered her younger in all the ways that mattered.

_I wish I could play an instrument._

My eyes shot open at her desire. Whether she had intended for me to hear or not, I heard. A thought suddenly occurred to me, so I acted upon it.

"I could teach you, if you like," I murmured shyly. I had never taught anything to anyone before, but piano was different. The lessons should be natural, just as the playing itself.

_Oh, no. I wouldn't be any good_, Rose thought uncertainly, although I could see she fancied the idea.

"With practice, I'm sure you would do great. You _are _a fast learner, after all," I responded, nudging her shoulder playfully.

_You're sure you don't mind?_

"Of course not."

_Okay. _With that, she squared her shoulders determinedly and placed her hands on the keys. She looked up at me through her lashes for her first lesson.

_Teach away, Mr. Cullen._

I rolled my eyes at her, but began nevertheless.

I taught her all the scales, both major and minor, showing her how to place her fingers to make for a flowing octave. She breezed through the scales with flying colors, anticipating my moves; most of them were common sense. I could tell she would be very good when we were finished.

"Now that we've got the basics, want to try a composition?" I suggested. After an nearly two hours of just scales, I was antsy to play an actual song.

_What do you suggest, dear teacher of mine?_

"An easy piece… to start," I added when she shot me a glare.

_What about that one you were playing earlier?_

"Not now. It's too complex, and you just played for the first time two hours ago," I replied skeptically. She could be stubborn when she wanted something, but so could I.

_Fine. What did you have in mind, Mr. Cullen? _The once playful nickname was now being used to mock me.

I ignored her irritated thoughts and continued as if nothing had happened. I didn't want to ruin it. "I was thinking _Moonlight Sonata_. It was one of Beethoven's simpler pieces."

_Let's try that one, then. _she thought edgily. She had to learn she couldn't always get what she wanted, especially from me.

After retrieving the sheet music from the folder I kept nearby, I played the haunting piece once through to give her an idea of what she was about to play. About five minutes into the actual lessons, she seemed to forget about her problem with this song. I was impressed with her determination to succeed; I hadn't seen that kind of drive in her since she murdered Royce King and his buddies. I felt my jaw clench in anger at the thought of those vile men. How dare they do that to someone so pure and innocent. They had taken Rosalie's most important aspect and crushed her self-esteem for a while. She was very closed off for the first few months of her never-ending existence, talking to us rarely. She was better after she got her revenge, but didn't improve marginally until we all talked to her. It had been an emotional discussion, and Rosalie had broken down more than once. She regained some of her former confidence, though.

_Edward? _Rose thought tentatively. She had registered the sorrow and anger in my features almost instantly; she was very perceptive.

"Yes?" I answered, not wanting to have this conversation. I relaxed my rigid features and faced her with a forced smile.

_Come on. You can't fool me. What were you thinking about?_

So perceptive. I decided to go with an answer that wasn't entirely a lie.

"I was thinking about how I haven't seen that kind of determination in you for a while."

_Not since… _she thought back to that murderous day with rage.

"Right," I completed, resigned. We were having this conversation.

She started thinking more into it, thinking about the reason for the murders, and angst flooded through her mind. She wished for the ability to shed tears, burying her face in her hands. Tearless, broken sobs echoed through the silent room.

"Hey, hey, don't cry. Please don't cry," I whispered desperately. It was torture seeing my sister this broken. I wrapped her up in my arms comfortingly, whispering softly to her. I held her head to my chest soothingly, buried my face in her blond tresses, which smelled of orchids, and held her close.

After she had reduced to sniffling, we sat embracing one another for a while. I wanted nothing more than to take away her pain. I smoothed the back of her hair down with my hand and kissed her tenderly on the head. She pulled back to look up at me with vulnerable eyes.

_Thank you. _Her gratefulness poured out of her mind like a floodgate being opened. I kissed her forehead soothingly in response.

_Really. I don't know what I would do without you._

"That's what family is for," I whispered.

* * *

My words were still as true as ever. Family was more important that I could have ever dreamed. We were never referred to as Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Alice, Edward, Bella, and Renesmee. We were the Cullen family. Sometimes, even the wolves were included in that. We stuck together no matter what, always there for one another. Any problem we had we could solve, with the help of our family.

I heard the front door open, but continued with my song. Bella directed her thoughts towards me, sensing that I still wanted to play. She knew me so well. She truly wasmy other half. _I'll take Nessie back to the cabin, _she thought.

_The Girl With the Flaxen Hair. _A thought sounded from the doorway. Rosalie.

I glanced back her, smiling crookedly, and turned back to the keys. She sat down next to me on the bench like she had done all those years ago, placing her hand on my shoulder.

_Thank you._

"For what?" I asked confusedly, yet knowingly.

_Everything. _

I stopped playing and turned towards her. She looked up at me fondly and wrapped her arms around my waist. I returned her embrace and kissed her golden head. We barely had these kinds of moments now that we each had our significant others, so we made sure to enjoy this one.

"That's what family is for," I murmured sentimentally. That statement would always remain true.


End file.
